Current News

Vermont Business Magazine The Friends of the Fletcher Free Library was awarded an FY2026 Cultural Facilities Grant to support audio-visual equipment to improve arts experiences at the Library. The newly installed screen, sound bar, and sound proofing panels will improve the quality of programs in the Fletcher Room at the Main Library at 235 College Street. In addition, a hybrid telecommunications screen will increase programming opportunities and accessibility at the New North End Branch at 1127 North Avenue.

Vermont League of Cities and Towns The VLCT advocacy team had an exciting week, again, on the issues of Local Option Tax withholding and PILOT appropriations. Things are heating up across the State House as all three major money bills have now passed both chambers and will go to conference committee – along with the major policy bills of the session for housing, labor, land use, data privacy, and public safety. Most committee chairs seem to be in a footrace to put their critical bills in front of the most controversial package of the year, H.955, which again carries major reforms for public education, the state education property tax rate, and to regionalize mass property reappraisals.

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont Works for Women is proud to partner with the Vermont Green Football Club on the More Green More Good partnership during the inaugural season of the club’s women’s team.  Founded in 1987, Vermont Works for Women (VWW) advances economic justice by promoting gender equity and supporting women and youth at every stage of their careers. By providing career exploration, trades training, career coaching, and gender equity consultation and workshops, VWW is helping to build a thriving Vermont for all.  The Vermont Green Football Club, founded in 2022, is a member of the United Soccer League and earned its first men’s national championship last year after going undefeated for the season.

Vermont Business Magazine Nearly 200 early childhood professionals from across Vermont gathered at Lake Morey Resort on April 29 for the Vermont Parent Child Center Network’s (VPCCN) fourth annual Innovations Conference—an energizing day of learning, connection, and statewide collaboration in support of families with young children. Designed as a cornerstone professional development event, the conference brought together staff from all 15 Parent Child Centers to share best practices, strengthen partnerships, and deepen their impact in communities statewide.

Vermont Business Magazine Community Health Eye Care in Rutland now features a complete selection of fashionable frames for children and adults. We've also grown our team of qualified vision specialists. Community Health Eye Care offers a full range of services, including comprehensive eye exams, diagnostics, treatment for common and complex eye conditions, surgical consultations and eyewear, including safety glasses, sunglasses, and a special section just for kids!

by Devon Green, VAHHS It’s May, so now we’re all asking the same question—when exactly are we getting out of here? End of the month? Mid-month? I have yet to feel the same urgency that usually comes with May. At the same time, when the session feels interminable is often right when everything rapidly wraps up. With the budget voted out of the Senate and on its way to a conference committee, we’ll probably get a clearer picture on the timeline this week.

Vermont Business Magazine Marilyn J. Cipolla, Ph.D.’97, professor of neurological sciences at the Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, has received the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke (NINDS). Dr. Cipolla is the first researcher from the Larner College of Medicine and the University of Vermont to receive this national honor. Cipolla also holds joint appointments in obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences and in pharmacology at the Larner College of Medicine and serves as professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering in UVM’s College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.

Vermont Economic Development Authority We kicked off the month of May at the Northeastern Forest Products Equipment Expo (also called The Loggers’ Expo) at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. It was well-attended and we enjoyed letting people know about our low rates for environmentally friendly, low-impact equipment. In April, we attended the NEK Chamber Annual Meeting in East Burke, the Vermont Community Development Association Spring Conference in Montpelier, the Food Funders Forum in Randolph Center, and the Lake Champlain Chamber Gala in Burlington where our partner Cairn Cross of FreshTracks Capital was named Leader of the Year.

Public Assets Institute On April 30th, Congress ended the longest partial government shutdown in history by approving funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The funding excludes appropriations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which accounted for roughly a third of DHS’s budget in Fiscal Year 2024, the last regular DHS funding bill enacted. Since then, Congress has funded the Department through a piecemeal approach, including appropriating $140 billion in supplemental funds for ICE and CBP last summer.

Vermont Business Magazine Scenic VT-108 (Smugglers’ Notch or the Notch Road) has reopened for the 2026 season as of 12:00 PM on Monday, May 4, 2026. Crews will open the gates on either side of the mountain, and message boards will be illuminated, indicating the reopening. The Notch Road is famous for its waterfalls, boulder-hugging narrows, and semi-tractor trailer trapping angles. Vehicles over 40-feet and combination vehicles over 45-feet in length are NOT permitted through this section of roadway.

Vermont Business Magazine Average gasoline prices in Vermont are $4.42 per gallon, up 29.7 cents per gallon from last week's $4.12/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $3.99/g while the highest was $4.59/g, a difference of 60.0 cents per gallon. The national average price of gasoline has risen 38.2 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $4.42/g today. The national average is up 32.6 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands $1.31/g higher than a year ago.

Vermont Business Magazine Attorney General Charity Clark today announced her campaign for re-election to a third term. Clark was first sworn in as Vermont’s Attorney General in 2023 and was re-elected in 2024.